With China’s military strength ballooning and the success-by-default of its aggressive expansion into the South China Sea, Beijings appears to have stepped up practising just such an attack.

MUSCLES FLEXED

“There have been massive developments in military reforms, combined operations, weapons development and production, the building of overseas military bases and military exercises, and the military threat towards us grows daily,” the Taipei military review warns.

Taiwanese media reports China’s air force has conducted about 16 military exercises testing the island nation’s defences in 2017 year — up from just eight in 2016.

The most recent drill happened last week when long-range Chinese jet fighters and H6K bombers flew through the narrow Bashi Channel just south of Taiwan, separating it from the Philippines. About 15 of the Chinese drills had involved warplanes flying around Taiwan, crossing near Japan’s Miyako island to the north.

Earlier this year, Beijing sent its aircraft carrier Liaoning through the Taiwan Strait in a show of force.

Chinese J-15 fighter jets being launched from the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier as it and a flotilla of other warships passed south of Taiwan. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

As a result, Taiwan was “seriously reviewing and drawing a plan to develop asymmetric warfare to deter advances by the Chinese military”.

Taiwan has created a new cyber warfare unit and restructured its air force and air defence commands. It has also begun a program to update its force of ageing US-built F-16 fighters.

WAR WARNING

Beijing has been increasingly hostile towards Taipei since the pro-independence Democratic Progressive party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen won elections last year.

“We will never allow any person, any organisation, or any political party to split any part of the Chinese territory from China at any time or in any form,” China’s president Xi Jinping warned during the 19th Party Congress in October this year.

He said Beijing had to power “to defeat any form of Taiwan independence secession plot.”

But Taiwan’s mainland affairs minister Chang Hsiao-Yueh has urged Beijing to strive to maintain regional peace and back down from its assertive behaviour.

“If they invade Taiwan militarily they will pay a very very high price,” she said during media conference. “And so far I believe ... if all other means (of unification) fail then finally they will do that.”

Pedestrians walk past a monitor showing a broadcast from Beijing of Chinese leader Xi Jinping delivering a stern warning to Taiwan on October 18, saying that Beijing has the will and power to thwart any attempts at independence. Picture: AFPSource:AFP

But Chang said she believed Taiwan had done enough to safeguard itself from China — for the present: “But at this moment, because this government exercises extreme caution not to do anything that would be considered provocative, we do not think that they will do anything like that at this time.”

The statement comes as defence analysts question whether Taiwan’s small military has retained its longstanding technical edge over opposing Chinese forces.